Alternative to basic parallel

[wmrcomputers]

Hi all.

I use Vixen 2.1 with a basic 8 channel parallel relay card. Last year was my first year and I have no desire to get more channels / dimming features etc. However, I had problems with my parallel relay card (mostly relays sticking) which meant I had to replace 2 relays mid season. Also, the clicking inside the house is driving the missus mad!!

Is there another basic 8 channel on / off solution out there, ready made, that I can buy and vixen 2.1 will support? preferably not relays either but capable of switching our UK 250volts and up to 3 amps per channel on & off? I would also prefer USB (than parallel) although this is not quite so important.

thanks for any help guys.... looking forward to xmas 2010

[dirknerkle]

For 3A current, you'd want some pretty heavy-duty stuff. With the parallel output and if you're 250VAC, you could pick up some Crydom SSRs that don't do dimming but can handle oodles of volts and up to 40 amps. Your parallel output has enough voltage to trigger one of the Crydoms (they need about 3v minimum). However, if you're 250VDC, the Crydoms would turn on but not off, so you'd lose the blinky capability.

You might pm bmcgeeny to see if he has any more of the Crydoms left -- they were about $5 each as I remember...

[wmrcomputers]

Originally Posted by dirknerkle

For 3A current, you'd want some pretty heavy-duty stuff. With the parallel output and if you're 250VAC, you could pick up some Crydom SSRs that don't do dimming but can handle oodles of volts and up to 40 amps. Your parallel output has enough voltage to trigger one of the Crydoms (they need about 3v minimum). However, if you're 250VDC, the Crydoms would turn on but not off, so you'd lose the blinky capability.

You might pm bmcgeeny to see if he has any more of the Crydoms left -- they were about $5 each as I remember...

Not really what I'm looking for but thanks all the same.
Really I want someone to say something along the lines of... "Here's a link to a controller that is silent and does 8 channels, and it works if you select the following output plugin in vixen..."
I don't want to modify my existing card, I'd rather just make a purchase you see

[chilloutdocdoc]

Originally Posted by wmrcomputers

Not really what I'm looking for but thanks all the same.
Really I want someone to say something along the lines of... "Here's a link to a controller that is silent and does 8 channels, and it works if you select the following output plugin in vixen..."
I don't want to modify my existing card, I'd rather just make a purchase you see

WMR if i'm correct, you're looking for something that you can buy, open the box, plug a few cables in, and fire up vixen. On this forum that isn't much of the case. Looking at 8 channels for 3A. Dirk's reccomendation is the same one that i would make. If you are indeed looking to buy something out of the box, then one of the Commercial Products (LOR, D-Light, AL, etc) may be your way to go.

[wmrcomputers]

Thanks again for your feedback. I'm quite happy to purchase anything from anywhere, but being such a novice really compared to the "big boys" in this game, I don't know where to start.
I looked at the list of output plugins that vixen says it supports, but have no idea what any of them mean other than basic parallel.

Oh, one other I found is the velleman k8055 board which I can purchase as a kit from "Maplin" in the UK, and it has a plugin installed in vixen, but the specs of it say 50v outputs at 100 milliamps so obviously i'd still need to use relays to switch the 250v 3A and therefore wouldn't be finding a fix... I'd just be doing what I'm already doing in a more complex way around things.

Surely there is an 8 channel controller sold somewhere that works by simply selecting one of the pre-installed output plugins on vixen?? If not then I would be gob-smacked that nobody has wanted to "cash in" on such an opportunity. All I really need is something like the parallel relay card I have now but that works with triacs or whatever so that it's more reliable and QUIET! lol

I appreciate your help and thoughts still folks!

[wmrcomputers]

Just reading back to the first reply, you said that Crydoms would only switch on and not off if I am 250VDC - what is the reason for this? (also, I'm 250v AC not DC incase that makes a difference?)
Thanks again

[P. Short]

Originally Posted by wmrcomputers

Surely there is an 8 channel controller sold somewhere that works by simply selecting one of the pre-installed output plugins on vixen?? If not then I would be gob-smacked that nobody has wanted to "cash in" on such an opportunity. All I really need is something like the parallel relay card I have now but that works with triacs or whatever so that it's more reliable and QUIET! lol

Most of the people on this forum are far more ambitious...

[dirknerkle]

WMR, when I suggested the Crydom SSRs, they're awfully close to exactly what you want. These are high-capacity solid state relays, are about 2-1/2" square, have mounting holes, and you could simply screw them onto a board. They'd connect to your existing parallel outputs on the PC side, and you'd connect the heavy-duty power on the other side. You could use the existing controls you already have, or you could use Vixen's Basic Parallel plugin and that would work fine.

So essentially, all you'd need is a board to mount them on, a screwdriver, a couple dozen screws and you'd be good to go -- and you could handle a whole lot more current than 3A per channel. Yeah, it's not a prebuilt unit, but it's darned close.

BTW, Triacs don't work too well with DC current -- they work fine with AC. You need the zero cross value which exists in AC current for a triac to function properly, and SSRs are generally designed with triacs. To control DC current the same way, you'd probably use a MOSFET -- similar to a triac, but not quite the same. With a Triac and DC current, the triac would switch once, but when you removed the power to it (e.g. remove the signal to the SSR's triac) there is no zero cross part of the electrical wave so the triac doesn't shut off -- it just stays on.

[wmrcomputers]

Thanks dirk.... so from what you have said, these Crydom SSR's would work fine with our 250V AC current here in the UK then?
If so this definitely sounds like the way to go

[dirknerkle]

Crydom SSRs come in all manner of specifications, and some can get a bit pricey. I bought several used ones from bmcgeeny, another member here on DIYC and I think they were only about $4 each. I don't know whether he has many left but you might be able to score a good buy on similar ones on ebay or elsewhere...

Here was bmcgeeny's original post...

http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...66&postcount=1

I did some research on them and here's what I found out:

http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...18&postcount=7